The 31st Annual American Birkebeiner, takes place on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004. Â It’s called the “Boston Marathon” of cross country skiing, is North America's largest and most prestigious cross-country ski marathon. Spanning 51 kilometers from Cable to Hayward, the Birkie is part of the esteemed Worldloppet series of 14 international races, part of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Marathon Cup series of eight races, and part of the American Ski Marathon series of 11 races. The event attracts 6,500 skiers from 19 foreign countries and 45 United States as well as 15,000 spectators to cheer them on.
Preparing For The American Birkebeiner
FasterSkier · February 17, 2004
Eat well balanced meals the day before. Eat a lot of food, but make sure it is comfort food you are familiar with. Going out for Sushi the night before the race is probably not a good idea. Drink a couple water bottles during the middle of the day, the day before the race — stay hydrated.
Eat a solid breakfast 2.5 — 3.5 hours before the start on race day.
Consider all or most of the following: oatmeal, orange juice, glass of milk, water, slice of bread, pancake, banana, egg and a few slices of bacon.
I mentioned bacon and such to Olympic champion Thomas Alsgaard when I skied with him in West Yellowstone in November. He comments was: â€yes, you need the fat for long hard efforts — that’s what keeps you going.†So there you go.
Drink water or diluted sport drink 20-30 minutes or so before the start. Eat a banana or sports bar at the same time
Forecast and Wax Recommendation From Team TorbjornSport
Approximately 30 SOLDA/Team TorbjornSport members are participating in the race. The team is headed by one of the World best marathon skiers, Italian Roberto de Zolt. Two-time Olympian Justin Wadsworth and Canadian Sarah Peters are the teams top North Americans. Three-time Olympian Leslie Thomson just added her name to the list of TBS skiers that have signed up for the big challenge.
The weather forecast as of Monday the 16 for Telemark, Wisconsin:
Friday 20th; low of 14 F and high of 29 F — snow showers and some wind.
Saturday 21; low of 8 F and high of 26 F — partly cloudy. Race temperatures likely in the high teens and low twenties.
We discussed possible wax suggestions with Justin Wadsworth and came up with these suggestions:
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At this point we believe that it’s likely that SOLDA Fluorocarbons should be used as the top layer. With the new snow and race temperatures in the twenties we are suggesting these as possible early recommendation (don’t wax yet — it can change from here on):
 covered with SOLDA Warm Fluor mixed with HPO5. Straight HPO5 is also (absolutely) possible – You might have “killer†skis with this combination</p><p>Second option: Same base (violet) covered with PowerJet 1 or Warm Fluor. Cover with (heated in) Cold Fluor or PowerJet 2 if the race temperature is expected to be low twenties.</p><p>Dry conditions: S-20 over F-15 Violet. Use S-30 if the temperatures drop to very low</p><p>Bring SOLDA PowerJet 4 and rub the wax on if Fluorocarbon is your top layer and it is dryer at the start than expected. Carefully heat it in if you have time in the morning — and have checked the humidity.</p><p>“Make it simple†alternative: Straight SOLDA F-15 SOLDA (two layers)</p><p>or SOLDA F-15 Pink (or Pink and Violet mixed) as base, cover with PowerJet 2 as top layer. This could be as good as anything out there — even better!</p><p>Continue to check for updated suggestions on www.torbjornsport.com   </p><p> </p><p> </p></div></div></div><div class=)